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You're Mine on urban radio, a little less is a hell of a lot more (42,119) by Geronimo from USA I just heard the remix of You're Mine for the first time on KMOJ in Minneapolis. Hearing it in an urban context (where it belongs) reminds me that since Daydream and Butterfly MC's uniqueness is has been her ability create super-smooth, mid-tempo tracks with a sweet melody, great production and a laid back hip-hop feel. When she first came out she used her voice in the most melodramatic and gymnastic way possible because it was easy for her to do, it sounded immediately impressive and "emotional" for soft rock and pop fans and because Sony knew that super-big melismatic singing could easily make corny pop songs written in one hour sound deep. Now that I'm older I love songs like Long Ago, The Roof, Lullaby, Close My Eyes, Slipping Away, Breakdown, Underneath the Stars and (almost) all of Memoirs, and Daydream Interlude. On the other hand, songs like And You Don't Remember, Just to Hold You Once Again, When I Saw You, All I've Ever Wanted and Forever remind me of junior high love letter and make me laugh now. All that is just to say that an understated song like You're Mine on urban radio is a confident and chilled out breath of fresh air in which a little less is a hell of a lot more. (Friday 14 March 2014; 21:58)

Think about this (42,118) by Marissa from USA To touch on J's point, yes us lambs do our part regardless of whether we are in love with the music or not. I often see in the comments on her recent videos on YouTube people saying "Come on lambs. Is this the best we can do?" or "Where are all the so-called lambs?" The thing is that Mariah used to make music that was so good that the lambs didn't need to bear all of the weight of trying to push her songs to the top, the general public helped us because they thought the songs were hot. Now I feel like we're on our own. The music she's making now isn't hot/strong enough to convert people into the lambily anymore. I honestly can't tell you the last time I met or chatted with a new lamb. On the other hand, it seems like every 10 minutes someone is converting to the Beyhive or tweeting "surfboard" on my TL. Don't you guys remember when Obsessed came out and everyone used that song as an excuse to ask the question, "Why are you so obsessed with me?" I need that kind of stuff to come back. Let me ask you guys this: If you weren't already a lamb and heard TAOLG or YME would you really become a die-hard fan of hers based on those two songs? Be honest. My answer is no. I think asking questions like that force us to look at her stuff more objectively and forces us out of our lamb bias to see how the general public views her work. A lot of us are lambs based on her previous work, and we're really just enduring this era, praying that the outcome pleasantly surprises us. (Friday 14 March 2014; 21:32)

Vocal potential (42,117) by Marissa from USA I respect lambs like RadChad who can at least wish the younger generation like Ariana luck. I agree Mariah will never be duplicated, which is why I think people need to relax and let Ariana do her thing because we know Mimi's success will always be unmatched. We should strive to be mature fans that don't feel the need to oppress someone else's talent. On another note, I actually do have faith in Mimi's voice because of the amazing vocals she gave in 2010 for Merry Christmas II You. Yes it was recorded almost 4 years ago but I have faith because she was anticipating being pregnant (she had in vitro, right?)/pregnant during that time so she couldn't drink, which is why I think her vocals were so amazing. I wanted to know exactly what damage alcohol does to your voice so I looked it up and it causes the muscles of the throat to constrict and can dry out your vocal cords. I don't think Mimi's an alcoholic or anything, but I definitely think she drinks more nowadays then she used to. I also highly doubt that she still sleeps for hours with the humidifiers, does the vocal rest thing, etc. anymore. If she makes a few tweaks, I think her voice will be in great shape again. Will Mimi actually make these changes? That's a whole other question. (Friday 14 March 2014; 21:04)

Originality, Ariana and opinions (42,116) by Marissa from USA I totally agree with Tiina and J. Mariah has done a lot of original things, but not every single thing she's done has been original. She has sampled and covered plenty of songs and has been inspired by Minnie Ripperton. Does that make her a copycat? Yes, The Way and Almost is Never Enough are the caliber of songs we should be getting from Mariah. Whether you think Ariana is a copycat or not those songs are way stronger than the songs Mimi's been putting out from 2012-2014. Half of you guys that keep saying Ariana isn't original haven't even heard her entire album. I think that they are different artists that don't sound alike. If Ariana didn't use her whistle, I wouldn't even think of Mariah while listening to her. Ariana is a child of the 90s. Naturally MC is her inspiration. Is she supposed to distort her voice just so she doesn't get backlash from the lambs for "copying" MC? The music biz never lets anyone be an individual. They'll always compare a current artist to a previous artist, deserved or not. That's how it is. I disagree that unless you're a music executive you should keep your opinion to yourself. I'm not going to go along with everything she does because I'm not a producer, vocal coach, etc. You don't have to be an expert to give effective feedback. Cutting down on the "splashes" in public, taking more musical risks, changing up her look, and toning down the excessive diva behavior, could and will benefit her career. I don't have to be JD or Benny Medina to know that. (Friday 14 March 2014; 20:40)

Vocal quality (42,114) by Lee from UK I don't think anyone is saying Mariah should copy Ariana's style. What I am saying is Ariana is a good singer and Mariah hasn't sounded half as good or consistent in her live performances lately in that same way as Ariana has. I don't care if Mariah has been singing for 20 years and Ariana has been singing for 20 minutes so don't start with the age related vocal deterioration crap. I enjoy listening to live singers without having to cringe and make excuses for their vocals before they have even walked on stage to sing. For me it is all about quality of live vocals. Although nothing will ever beat Mariah's SNL version of Vanishing, if Mariah walked on stage tomorrow and sang it live in one take with her current vocals and then Ariana sang it immediately after, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy Ariana's version more. I could replace Ariana for Beyonce and my feelings would be the same. Beyonce constantly gives flawless live performances. I only say this because Mariah's vocal inconsistencies leave me feeling disappointed. (Friday 14 March 2014; 19:52)

Speaking of Grande / Thirsty (42,113) by Tiina from Finland Did anyone think her song Baby I remind you of Mariah's song Secret Love? The "oh baby, oh baby" part. Mariah is definitely hinting something with that song Thirsty. I could be wrong but it sounds like a club banger, which would be fantastic. Like a lot of people here, I want a hot up-tempo song from Mariah, like It's Like That, which is one of my favourites and of course Migrate, that is such an awesome song. We don't need another ballad or a mid-tempo song, we need something spicy and hot for a change. (Friday 14 March 2014; 19:33)

The Emancipation of Mimi - throwback (42,112) by Jono from USA Hey fans, I've been listening to TEOM a lot recently and I am still amazed at how fresh and unique this sounds. It doesn't sound dated, in fact I think Mariah may have been ahead of her time with this sound. It's Like That and Shake It Off would be fire on the radio even nowadays, because it sounds so different. Here's hoping that Mariah has another "emancipation inspiration" for her upcoming album. (Friday 14 March 2014; 19:27)

Tiina (42,111) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Yes definitely MC probably took some inspiration or just for the sake of arguement let's say she totally copied the styles of the singers you mentioned, but look at your post, she perhaps "totally copied" Aaliyah for Babydoll, Alicia Meyers for MIH and all, but that's "one" song in like one album, whereas almost "every" song in Ariana's album is a rip off of Mariah's work, especially Daydream. So please, don't just say you don't see a difference between her and MC. I will agree with you if you say that MC sometimes behaves erratically or snobbish in some interviews, I'll agree if you say that some of her recent songs don't have the depth of her previous ones (although that doesn't necessarily mean I don't like them) and I'll agree with you that MC needs to work on her live performances, but no way in hell will it be fair to say that MC has been ripping off other singers in the same fashion that Ariana is doing. There's a difference between taking inspiration (or heck ripping off ideas) from singers in "one" song every now and then, and ripping of one artist's songs in "every" song in one album to the point that it seems like its Daydream 2.0 (without the maturity) and then having the audacity to say that her style is different from Mariah's. Atleast Mariah acknowledged her influences. (Friday 14 March 2014; 17:57)

Tiina (42,110) by RadChad from United States The difference between Mariah and Ariana is, Mariah has always displayed actual artistry, writes her own music, and has created her own sound. Of course everyone is inspired, but with inspiration you're supposed to create something unique, different, that's your own without completely ripping some else's style off. Nothing's wrong with sampling, borrowing, or remaking songs, there just need to be authenticity to it or your artistry has to transcend. I think Ariana's label did her a great disservice when they admittedly ripped the early Mariah sound with her, because now people won't know who she is as an artist and what she has to offer besides emulating her idol. This wasn't the case with Mariah's debut; people compared her to Whitney then once her album came out the talent and artistry transcended everything. Like I said I actually like Ariana and wish her the best, but the general public got bored with the mini Mariah lite campaign really fast. She needs to break free and find her own lane. Spread her wings and come into her own as an artist before she can be taken seriously as a contender. (Friday 14 March 2014; 17:15)

RadChad and Tina (42,109) by Musti from UK I completely agree with both of you. I think there's a tendency with lambs to compare and bring on the hate on every singer that can get anywhere near the high C. Mariah can pop that out of her back pocket anytime and then some. More than anything Mariah is her own artist and above all a songwriter, almost completely true to her own sound and vocals right from the start. Yes we have all seen Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Leona Lewis and now Ariana being hailed as the new Mariah. Eveyone knows there can be no other (new, old or intermediate) Mariah than Mariah herself. Out of all the mini Mariahs we have witnessed I think Ariana is the only one so far who sounds like Mariah yet sounds like herself at the same time. I do feel her songs. So I think everyone needs to cut her some slack. And yes I think we should all be proud that even after 25 years of being in this business Mariah still has the power to influence new artists, so much that they would release an album full of Mariah-like songs. (Friday 14 March 2014; 17:05)

Re: Carla (42,108) by G.G. from USA You can love and support someone and not like everything they do. I hated Triumphant and I did not buy it. I am not spending my money on a song I feel is garbage. I also am an expert, an expert in what I like. I listen to all types of music. I don't need a degree in music theory in order to know whether or not I like a song. Constructive criticism is what makes people better, some people are just not good at taking the constructive criticism. I'm afraid that MC has surrounded herself with people who only say yes to her. That's not good. This is, after all, the music business. If you can't sell records you will get dropped from your label and that would be humiliating. (Friday 14 March 2014; 15:58)

RadChad (42,107) by Tiina from Finland I don't really see a big difference. Every singer and musician is influenced by someone before them and they all borrow things. Ariana is doing the same thing and she has her own poppier sound in which she's applying the kind of things she likes. Yes, it's intentional. Artists always go for some specific sound depending on what inspires them. You know, Mariah herself has intentionally gone for a specific sound when she borrowed from the likes of Emotions and Alicia Meyers' song I Want To Thank You Heavenly Father for Make It Happen, which she was sued for. Mariah also intentionally went for a similar vibe to Aaliyah's sound on the Butterfly album for Babydoll. Listen to Aaliyah's One In A Million and it's pretty clear where the "inspiration" came from. Mariah even seeked for Missy to create a similar feel for her song. So what is the difference there? And what's so wrong? Nothing. Just artists being inspired by each other or "copying" each other, however you wanna put it. Ariana has her own flavour to it while yes, she is intentionally going for a specific sound and that's not a crime. Unless you use specific arrangements and parts from other people's work, like Mariah and David actually did and went to court for. Just saying. And lastly, I want to make sure you know I respect your opinion and I'm not going to figh about this like so many here fight all day long, it's childish. We're just exchanging opinions. (Friday 14 March 2014; 15:52)

(42,106) by J from USA Oh please, stop it. I support Mariah but I'm not like a lot of you that always have to call anyone who criticizes Mariah a hater. That's one of the reasons why she's in the position she is in right now. A bunch of yes people around her that don't sit her down and let her know the truth, and if they do maybe she's just in denial. I don't like You're Mine but did I buy it? Yes I did. I always do my part. Another thing, stop blaming everyone around MC when it comes the underperformance of her singles. What is her management team supposed to do? Go out and perform the song for her? This era has been so disorganized. She releases a single but doesn't promote it in favor of finishing the album, which has been in the final stages for like 4 months now. Why even bother releasing a single then. You're Mine is rising on radio but let's be real, the song won't survive on airplay alone. Digital downloads play a big part in a songs success nowadays and sadly the song has disappeared on iTunes. We as fans do out part even though we have our different opinions. Blame the general public, who obviously were not interested in the song. (Friday 14 March 2014; 15:45)

Influenced copycat (42,105) by RadChad from United States I just want to point out that there's a difference between being inspired by another artist and being a copycat. Mariah was never that latter IMO. Though her label pinned her against Whitney and she was inspired by Minnie Riperton's whistle register, she has always interjected originality into everything she ever did and has always been an authentic artist and creative force. I actually love when I hear Mariah's influence in other female artists, because it show that her legacy will live on and on regardless of how her career ends up. In regards to Ariana Grande, she has a cute voice and I would like to see her go far, but I am a little taken back that lambs have gotten to the point where they are comparing her to Mariah as if she could replace or match her. We must remember Mariah is often imitated, but never duplicated. Lol. (Friday 14 March 2014; 15:04)

Mariah's voice (42,104) by Tiina from Finland What I am worried about is her voice. It's in a pretty bad shape and I'm saying this not to be mean but because I'm truly worried for her. At the tree lighting ceremony last year, she had only 1 chance to get it right, so no prerecorded vocals and she didn't have multiple takes. She hasn't done that since when? It was a real struggle for Mariah and her voice cracked on a simple head voice note. It was shocking. It's one thing to have matured and to have your voice alter in time, which is only natural but to not be able to hold a note. Mariah stopped taking lessons from Pat pretty early on and went the other way, so she hasn't been taking lessons for decades and she's been singing these songs that require a lot from her voice. Technique would have saved her voice. Even if you're naturally talented but not trained, you don't really know how to preserve your voice. A great technique will get you through bad vocal days. I'm a singer myself and a technique nerd. There are some great therapheutic exercises for singers with vocal damage and there is a way to work your voice back even if you have nodules. But Mariah has been on her own for decades and because she's more mature now and has had kids, she simply doesn't have that young age as her advantage, even if she won't accept that fact. She simply cannot continue this way, she will lose what she has left of her voice. She needs an open mind, vocal therapy and time. The constant alcohol consumption only makes matters worse. (Friday 14 March 2014; 13:49)

Grande (42,103) by Tiina from Finland Since MC is one of the most influential singers ever and she's been one for 20+ years, it's only natural that her influence shows in other artists' work. I don't think it's tacky at all that Grande's sound is similar. Mariah herself borrowed from a lot of singers like Riperton and she was compared to Whitney bacause of similar tone and use of melisma. In other words, she could be called a copycat as well. Every singer could. There's no reason to be upset, singers naturally borrow from other singers they like and some artists are similar to others. I think Ariana has a great sound and a beautiful light voice, but it lacks depth. Mariah has more of a soulful textured voice. Anyway, Grande has put out 1 album so far, it's yet to be seen if she has longevity and if she can stand on her own without comparisons. I'm pretty sure she'll be around and successful but please, MC has nothing to worry about. I don't care how many can do the whistle, no one will ever have the beauty and the soul of Mariah's voice, no one will ever have the writing ability to produce 18 number 1's and create an outstanding body of work that inspires generations. No one will ever have the ability to crossover all over the world or have the personality and the looks like Mariah, period. (Friday 14 March 2014; 13:35)

Have a little faith (42,102) by Tiina from Finland You don't have to love everything she puts out. When Triumphant came out, I didn't like it and even #Beautiful I wasn't that excited about, but both songs have grown on me since that time. As for Almost Home and YME, they don't do it for me. But I appreciate that she puts out new material. I'm here to support her because I believe in her as a person and an artist. I don't need her to be back at number 1. She has nothing to prove, only to stay true to herself. But I'm certainly not blind to her behaviour. Sometimes she seems erratic during interviews but I think that happens when she doesn't rest properly, she gets this attitude and if you're tired you just snap and she has a tendency to spin around. But hello, she's human. Other times she can be appropriate, professional and stick to discussing her artistry like on the Ralphie show. It was clear she was rested and in a good mood. We all have good days and bad days. (Friday 14 March 2014; 13:22)

Thirsty / Ariana (42,101) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter In the recent interview MC says that she can't wait until her fans hear "Thirsty" when the album comes out, I'm a little disappointed because I was hoping she released that or the Mike Will track before the album release. I hope she just said that because she didn't want to reveal her plans about another single. About Ariana, please enough with that argument, so Mariah didn't acknowledge Ariana's existence, boo hoo, get over it. Nobody wants to hear that there is now a "younger" version of them to possibly replace them (ugh I cringed at myself for even writing that Ariana can replace MC). Why is it so hard for people to just accept that yes eventhough M is a multimillionaire record setting/breaking superstar, she is still insecure and feels threatened. I think it's perfectly normal, and it's not like she didn't say she doesn't care about Ariana, she wished youngsters well. She's a busy person and I don't think it's shocking if she never heard of Ariana or didn't hear Beyonce's new chart burning song. Give it a rest, it's not like Ariana is any better, she keeps going out of her way to claim her style is different than M's, when actually we all can hear it's a major rip off. After years of being controlled, M finally found her freedom in 2005 when she did what she wanted and was acclaimed for that, only to again have people write her off, so yes I think her insecurities are well justified. (Friday 14 March 2014; 12:38)

Mariah (42,100) by George Golden from UK Triumphant Pulse remix, Almost Home, Beautiful are amazing singles that shows that Mariah has still got it. These songs should have been properly promoted. People are still into Mariah, they are just sick of her trying so desperately to be hood. She didn't start off like this only after she started doing hip hop she became an addict. I've been listening to her older tracks and I just cant believe how amazing she was, reminding me why I love her so much. Please Mariah go back to your roots and stop all these hip hop ballads, it just ridiculous at this point. You're Mine could have been an amazing song if it wasn't produced like We Belong Together. Now she has run off again to go and bring another single and predictably the same style. Really frustrating to think that someone thinks they can keep doing the same thing and get a different result each time. All she is intrested in now is to force her nakedness down our throats. Lol. It's a shame because her husband can't tell her it's bad, her manager can't tell her it's bad and even her friends can't advice her. Because she is running the show like she has always wanted. I just pray she releases the damn album already. (Friday 14 March 2014; 12:02)

Insecurities (42,099) by Darryle from USA People keep bringing up Mariah's insecurities and saying she should try to fix them and stuff. Well she is, she's said so herself she knows she's insecure and she tries really hard to fix it but it is hard for her. And I believe it's hard for her. She's always been insecure. When she was little her race then the whole time she was with Tommy they said things like only show her left profile because your right one is ugly. When you're around that type of negativity for so long it's hard to get rid of. I honestly doubt Mariah's gonna get rid of hers. (Friday 14 March 2014; 11:21)

Mariah's new album prediction (42,098) by ADAM from USA Thank you Marissa. That's exactly my feelings about MC. I really hope she brings it this time around, however so far I'm a bit skeptical based on the several singles we've heard thus far. On Triumphant, I couldn't believe how her vocals were downed played and acted as a feature on her own song. Her vocals were so thin and a shadow of what they used to sound like even comparing it against anything on the Rainbow album. I hope we'll be pleasantly surprised with this record. When Nick said awhile ago MC was listening to all her older work getting inspired again, I thought great, maybe she is getting the message loud and clear from what we love and miss from her - assertive vocals, belting, introspective lyrics you name it. I hope I'm wrong, I would like to be. I just think she's acting erratic to detract from the fact her voice is in irreparable shape. Think about it, MC doesn't tour anymore and she has been hibernating for years now so ideally her voice should be rested and in great condition - however she never sings live. Last time she did sing live was for Memoirs album in 2008. If anyone wants to hear the condition of how thin her voice is just YouTube Today Show and listen to anyone of the songs and tell me it's not scary how very voice is worn. BTW don't use the same tired excuse that's its a morning show. Fact is MC knows what's up, that's why she prerecords all performances. Also she was caught lip syncing to TMB on GMA for such an easy song to sing. (Friday 14 March 2014; 3:29)

Strike two (42,097) by Lamb_O_Chop from Australia Wow did someone really just say "The Way and Almost Is Never Enough are the caliber of music we should be getting from Mariah"? So basically Mariah should copy her "poor man's imitation"? Chile on that note I'm really logging now. Bye lambily, enjoyed you profusely. (*wiggles fingers bye like Mariah*) (Friday 14 March 2014; 3:12)

Re: Carla and others (42,096) by Daydream327 from USA You're right, we all have our opinions and maybe some of us are just venting from frustration but I have never and will never disrespect MC. It's called constructive criticism. Sorry for knowing what Mariah is capable of and knowing she's better than any of this mess she has been releasing as of late. As lambs we support Mariah and I feel we have every right to express our opinions and disappointments. So if telling the truth is being a "hater" or "fake" then so be it. Besides if the fans don't speak up, who will? It's clear Mariah's team doesn't care. All we're doing is expressing what most lambs are afraid to say because they don't want to be considered a "goat". This has nothing to do with MC following trends or topping the charts. Lambs love using the "oh if YME was topping the charts, lambs would love it". Well, not this lamb. TMB was #1, and I hated it. Least played MC song ever. Mariah is at a point in her career where she shouldn't be worrying about trends or topping the charts, she should to be worried about leaving her legacy. But sadly to do this, she'll first have to accept her age. (Friday 14 March 2014; 2:32)

Laughing matter (42,095) by Carol from Spain Most of you people need to get a reality check on what being a fan means. It's alright to disagree with what she does but it's your job to support no matter what. I take my dedication very seriously but I'm far from delusional and I'm not going to public pages' page, including hers, calling her names. I leave that to the non believers. Now I do believe MC should listen to the ones that like her the way she is, instead of listening to a bunch of second degree crítics. Mariah believes in her music, she deserves the benefit of the doubt from me, the fan. Then there's the thing called constructive criticism. You can do that if you're an expert in the matter and if you are at her level. If not, keep opinions to yourselves. And, last time I checked, positive criticism should be saying something bad in a nice easy and all I see here is what you guys think she should do to please you, not herself as a musician. Mariah changed from the 90's to now but most of you is stuck and that isn't her fault. (Friday 14 March 2014; 0:57)

Questioning our lamb status? (42,094) by Marissa from USA I'm tired of people challenging our lamb status the minute someone gives Mariah constructive criticism. I feel like a true lamb steps up and talks about the things that need improvement because we want to see Mariah win. The path she's on is not impressive. Everything we are talking about on here is stuff that she has the power to change. Just like with family, you may love them, but you aren't going to agree with everything they do. Some of you guys are more devoted to Mariah than you are to your own family. The issue is that Mariah only seems to be in touch with lambs that agree with everything she does, which isn't going to lead to improvement. As far as Ariana, you shouldn't be worried about a 20 year old even if she is similar to Mariah. She doesn't stand a chance of achieving Mariah's success because music doesn't sell like that anymore. She doesn't have the power to take away anything Mariah's achieved, so why does it matter? If Mariah is serious about protecting her legacy then she better make some memorable music because songs like YME and TAOLG make it easy for anyone to blow her out of the water because they are forgettable regardless of whether they are doing well on the charts. Say what you want about Ariana, but her songs The Way and Almost Is Never Enough are the caliber of music we should be getting from Mariah. (Thursday 13 March 2014; 22:57)

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